Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 145: The Usual Two.

The Usual Two.

“Hello, everyone!”

“Hello… Takanashi-kun, thank you for coming to greet us.”

The ones emerging from the station were Tachikawa-san and Hanako-san.

Today, everyone was supposed to gather in front of the station. Up until now, it had just been me, Hayato, and Toudou-san, but with these two arriving, our group had grown to five.
Since Sara-san and Natsumi-senpai lived nearby, they were likely coming together.

Toudou-san and Tachikawa-san exchanged a friendly—if somewhat exaggerated—high five as a greeting.
Meanwhile, Hanako-san approached me silently, looked up at me without saying a word, and suddenly raised her hand.

…?

“Hmm!”

Uh… does she want a high five?

Clap.

Tentatively, I lightly tapped her hand.

“Thus, the greeting of souls is complete.”

…I’m not entirely sure what just happened, but it seems I didn’t get it wrong.
Rather than moving on to greet the others, Hanako-san stayed right by my side.
Was she… getting attached to me?

While I was pondering this, Yuuji came out from the station building.

“Kazunari-san! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

“No worries, we’re still waiting on a few more people.”

After that previous call, I had given Yuuji a rough explanation, but we’d agreed to go over the details during today’s meeting.

“Long time no see.”

Standing beside me, Hanako-san addressed Yuuji in her usual calm, even voice.
Right, these two knew each other from before.

“Yeah, long time no see. I never expected you to meet Kazunari without me being the connection.”

“Our encounter was guided by fate.”

Saying that, Hanako-san looked up at me once again.
U-uh… Hanako-san wasn’t a bad person at all, and she was easy to talk to, but sometimes she said these dramatic, almost anime-like lines out of nowhere.

Yuuji tilted his head curiously, glancing between Hanako-san and me.

“Hmm? Don’t tell me you two have gotten pretty close?”

“We are partners in destiny.”

Well, if we’re talking about standing against Yamazaki and Yuzuha, she’s not wrong… but that applies to all of us.

While I gave a wry smile, a small punch suddenly landed on my side.
Yuuji, watching, gave a similar wry smile.

It seemed Hanako-san had naturally taken on the role of our mascot character—both in spirit and appearance.

“Hey, nice to meet you.”

As I was caught up in this comedic scene with Hanako-san, Hayato had quietly approached.

“Yeah, nice to meet you. I’m Tachibana Yuuji, been friends with Kazunari since the start of middle school.”

“I’ve heard a bit about you from Kazunari. I’m Yokokawa Hayato. We became friends back in high school. Good to meet you.”

Hayato offered his right hand, and Yuuji shook it firmly.

It really made me happy to see them getting along.
While I was feeling relieved, I felt a tug on my sleeve.

?

Looking down, Hanako-san was motioning me closer with a beckoning gesture.
Pressing one hand to her mouth, as if about to whisper a secret, she prompted me to lean down.

As I did, she cupped her hand around my ear and whispered:

“Did something happen between those two? The good-looking one seems oddly tense… I think he’s unusually aware of Tachibana-kun.”

I hadn’t noticed, but maybe girls are sharper about these things.
If there was anything, it probably had to do with Natsumi-senpai.
When she suddenly called Yuuji during karaoke, they’d ended up chatting happily for quite a while.
I had explained the situation to Hayato afterward, but at the pool, they did seem surprisingly close…

“It’s a little complicated, but… yeah, there’s something.”

I answered quietly.
Hanako-san gave a few thoughtful nods, her expression hard to read.

“………Kazunari-san.”

!?

A sudden chill ran through me at the sound of my name.

Just hearing the voice of my beloved Sara-san shouldn’t have been enough to freeze me like this…

With a creaking sound, as if my neck had lost all lubrication, I turned around.

Sara-san was standing there, smiling—a smile colder than the depths of winter.

“…We’ve kept you waiting, Kazunari-san. You seemed to be having quite the lively conversation with Hanako-san.”

S-Scary…

Even though I had done nothing wrong, I felt as though I’d been caught cheating.

“S-Sara-san, is something the matter?”

I glanced around, silently pleading for someone to help me—but everyone had mysteriously disappeared.
Even Natsumi-senpai and Toudou-san were gathered at a distance.
Glancing to my side, Hanako-san and the others had also vanished.

…So that’s how it is, huh?
Right, I’m on my own…

“Kazunari-san, where are you looking?”

“H-Here! I’m sorry!”

Sara-san was the type who, once angry, would stay quietly mad for a long time.
If I didn’t clear this up, it could ruin today’s important meeting.
Honestly, I didn’t think I had done anything wrong, but when it came to Sara-san… I could never win.

The only option was to explain that I had a legitimate reason for whispering.

I stepped closer to Sara-san, gently pulled her into a hug, and began to stroke her hair.

“Kazunari-san?”

Caught off guard by the sudden gesture, Sara-san puffed out her cheeks in a cute show of anger, yet didn’t pull away.

That was Sara-san’s adorable side—being surprisingly weak when caught off guard.

“Sara-san, that whisper earlier… was because we didn’t want Yuuji and Hayato to overhear.”

“Something you didn’t want them to hear…?”

Seeing that she was willing to listen, I decided to explain everything.
Sara-san wouldn’t go blabbing about it, after all.

“The truth is, Hayato likes Natsumi-senpai.”

“What!? Really!?”

Sara-san gasped in surprise, and I continued:

“At karaoke the other day, Natsumi-senpai called Yuuji, right? Afterward, they seemed to have a lot of fun chatting. Hayato saw that and got the wrong idea, thinking Yuuji might be his rival.
Hanako-san noticed Hayato’s odd behavior and quietly told me.”

Sara-san listened carefully, then after pondering for a moment, she grabbed my hand with a sparkle in her eyes and started pulling me along.

It seemed she wanted me to follow her.

When we returned to where everyone else had gathered, Sara-san let go of my hand, leaned in close, and whispered into my ear:

“Maybe we should ask Tachibana-kun directly what he thinks of Natsumi. It might clear up the misunderstanding. I’ll try asking Natsumi casually, too.”

True, I had never heard anything like that from Yuuji before.
It might be a good idea to ask…

…But if both of them had feelings for each other… what would happen then?

No, no, it’s too early to worry about that.

As I glanced at Sara-san, she tilted her head, almost pushing her ear toward me.

Wait… does she want me to whisper too?

Thinking it would help restore her mood, I leaned close to her ear and began speaking softly:

“Alright, I’ll—”

“Hyah!”

Sara-san let out a small, startled squeak, pulling away slightly.

…Oops, maybe I got a little too close.

Sara-san’s cheeks flushed deep red, and she hurriedly buried her face against my arm.

This was her usual reaction when embarrassed.

She always looked so composed when initiating things herself, but the moment she was on the receiving end, she became adorably shy.

I couldn’t help but smile at her, but as I glanced up—

Everyone was staring at us with cold, deadpan expressions.

…I’m so sorry, everyone.

“Sorry for the wait! Alright, everyone, let’s continue our greetings in the car—huh? Is something wrong?”

Nishikawa-san arrived, and finally, everyone was here.
Sensing the odd tension in the air, she tilted her head curiously.

“Thanks for your hard work, Eri. No, it’s nothing to worry about.”

Sara-san, having fully recovered her composure, was now chatting cheerfully with Nishikawa-san as if nothing had happened… she’s so strong.

“Alright everyone, please get in the car first. We’ll continue the discussion there.”

Now that she mentioned it, this many people wouldn’t fit in an ordinary car.

Maybe a minibus…?

I was clearly underestimating the resources of Nishikawa Group’s heiress.

Parked before us was a long, luxurious vehicle—

A limousine.

It was incredibly imposing—and attracting a lot of attention.

“Kazunari-san, please get in first.”

Sara-san gently pushed me forward.

It was my first time riding in such a luxury vehicle, and I hesitated, but seeing the chauffeur holding the door open, I gathered my courage and stepped inside.

Whoa… what is this!?

A long, sofa-like seat stretched inside, creating a space that barely felt like a car at all.

“Kazunari-san, please move to the back.”

Right—if I didn’t move quickly, I’d block the entrance.

I slid into the deepest seat, and Sara-san sat down snugly right beside me.

Of course, with the wall on the other side, only Sara-san could sit next to me.

One by one, everyone entered, each reacting with awe.

“Sara… seriously. Well, I guess monopolizing your boyfriend is a girlfriend’s privilege.”

Natsumi-senpai didn’t seem particularly surprised. Glancing at Sara-san, who stood beside me, she sighed as if to say, good grief.

I didn’t think Sara-san had done anything strange, though…

Just then, Hanako-san entered the room, looked over at us, and muttered in slight dissatisfaction:

“…There’s nowhere to sit.”

Upon hearing that, Sara-san—though I wasn’t sure why—gave Hanako-san a remarkably sharp look.

“Ugh… I can’t win against that,”
Hanako-san muttered, visibly retreating a step. She averted her gaze and quickly took the open seat beside Toudou-san.

Once she confirmed that, Sara-san leaned into me again, clinging closely.

Well, considering there’s a wall on the other side, I guess I don’t really mind…

“Is she a different person? I’ve never felt such intense killing intent from anyone before… That girl is scary,”
Hanako whispered.

“I told you before, didn’t I? Getting too close to Takanashi-kun is dangerous,”
Toudou-san added in a hushed voice.

The two of them continued whispering to each other.

Maybe it was because of Hanako-san’s warning, but when I looked at Yuuji and Hayato, seated on either side of Natsumi-senpai, I did feel there was… a slight, uncomfortable tension in the air.

“Now then, everyone. Since I was only able to join by phone last time, allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Nishikawa Eri. I look forward to working with you.”

With Nishikawa-san’s introduction, the rest of us took turns offering our greetings.
Come to think of it, we were supposed to have a proper conversation that night, but Nishikawa-san had something urgent come up, so it never happened.

“I’m Takanashi Kazunari. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Yes, likewise. …Sara, I can see you two are close, but perhaps you should give him a little space? If you stick to him like that, it might trouble Takanashi-san.”

Sara-san was still clinging tightly to me.

…She wasn’t showing it on her face, but maybe she was still unsettled from earlier.

If that’s the case, I might as well let her be for a little longer.

“…Takanashi-san, am I bothering you?”

Hearing her ask that, looking slightly forlorn, there was no way I could bring myself to refuse.

“No, not at all. You’re fine.”

When I gently patted Sara-san’s head, she broke into a joyful smile and nestled her face even closer to my shoulder.

Seeing this, Nishikawa-san looked completely dumbfounded, as if she had just witnessed something unbelievable.

“………Who are you, exactly?
The Sara I know would look at men like they were trash and bluntly tell them not to bother talking to her because it was too much trouble.”

“How rude. Please don’t lump my precious Takanashi-san together with the rest.”

“No, that’s not the point I was trying to make…”

It seemed she reacted to a different part of Nishikawa-san’s comment than intended.

“Hey, can we move on to the main topic already?”

Natsumi-senpai, sounding exasperated, urged us to return to the meeting at hand.